Domaine de Majas 2011 Cotes Catalanes blanc

Who wants to fly business on an economy ticket?

The Cotes Catalanes blanc is class on a shoestring. Hailing from the all-important limestone and schist, it displays the characteristic minerality such quality soils can produce. This is no New Zealand fruit bomb and nor does it try to be. It is understated – crisp, clean and uncomplicated.

Wines like this are made to suit the Southern French lifestyle – to be enjoyed alfresco on a balmy summer’s eve. This one comes from the Languedoc and Roussillon and is made of 45% Rolle (aka Vermentino), 45% Macebeau and 10% Carignan blanc. Does that tell you how it will drink? Probably not, unless you wrote the Oxford companion to wine. However, I can say that despite the obscurity of the grapes, there is something distinctly familiar about this wine.

The winemaker is Tom Lubbe, a NZ/South African now living in France. Tom also owns Domaine Matassa, a favourite of mine that I’ll introduce you to soon. He is at the top of his craft and the Cotes Catalanes is true to his style.

:::O:::

O = Organic: farming without the use of inputs that can have adverse effects. ‘Non-systemic’ fungicides and pesticides are used in place of ‘systemic’ chemicals said to enter the ‘blood’ of a plant (akin to antibiotics in the human world).